“The Social, Cultural and Economic History of Van and the Region” conference organized by Hrant Dink Foundation was held in Anarad Hığutyun building on November 11 and 12. We talked to Dr. Yektan Türkyılmaz, who was the keynote speaker of the conference, about Van's importance in Armenian and Ottoman history.

Mosul and the National Pact(Misak-ı Milli) became a topic of discussion once again. Recently, President Erdoğan said, “Mosul was ours. Read some history. Some people got disturbed because I mentioned the National Pact. Why do you feel disturbed by my history lessons? We are patriotic, that is why.” This statement made the issue a current debate once again. Prof. Dr. Baskın Oran from Ankara University Political Science Department is one of the most knowledgeable scholars concerning Mosul and the National Pact. We spoke to Oran about the course of these two issues throughout the history of republic and their reflections to the present day.

Though we watched live what happened on July 15, we still don't know exactly how the attempted coup unfolded behind the scenes. There are lots of reports and information about this issue, but they are just too new. We talked to Ahmet İnsel about what happened and the possible developments after the attempted coup.

Will such an era really start after this kind of a calamity? Let's hope it will. However, there is a good chance that an era, where capital punishment will be back, every opposing protest will be suppressed both by the state and “society” and lynching atmosphere will remain, is coming.

ABOUT US

Agos was founded in 1996 by Hrant Dink and a group of his friends, in order to report the problems of the Armenians of Turkey to the public. It is the first newspaper in the Republican period to be published in Turkish and Armenian. Agos's editorial policy focuses on issues such as democratization, minority rights, coming to terms with the past, the protection and development of pluralism in Turkey. As a newspaper that has emerged from within the Armenian community of Turkey, Agos aims to further open its pages to the issues of Turkey and the world. As independent journalism and freedom of expression face increasing restriction in Turkey, Agos also acts as an independent platform for debate.